Shaheen Afridi to be sacked as captain before T20 WC? Shadab Khan miffed by rumours ahead of PSL final

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan is miffed with rumours suggesting that Shaheen Afridi is likely to be sacked as the T20I captain ahead of the T20 World Cup in June, in West Indies and USA. Shaheen replaced Babar Azam as the T20I captain after the ODI World Cup 2023, however, his start was awful as Pakistan lost the five T20Is to hosts New Zealand 4-1.

After Islamabad United entered the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 final, to be held on Monday (March 18), the franchise’s skipper Shadab reacted to reports suggesting Shaheen’s removal. In a presser, he said that any captain needs time to settle in and constant changes in leadership group isn’t ideal for any side.

Shadab said, “Even now, look, we’ve given Shaheen a series, and we’re contemplating changing his captaincy. It shouldn’t be like this because in the long term, one should be given a chance to captain properly according to his process, his method. Because we want to experiment, win series as well, which could lead to issues.”

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‘We want many things to change immediately, but that’s not how it works’

He further opined, “Whenever you bring someone in, things can’t change immediately. It takes time. We want many things to change immediately, but that’s not how it works; it’s a process. In this process, there are mostly failures in the beginning, and it’s important to see how we accept those failures.”

Shadab added, “A captain has his own thought process, and right now, it’s unclear because of discussions about changing the captain after just one series. With the World Cup, I think we need to identify players for the long run so that by the time we reach the World Cup, our issues are resolved.”

Shadab-led Islamabad United face Multan Sultans in the ongoing PSL edition’s finale on Monday evening. Soon after, the Pakistan national team will shift their focus to the upcoming T20 WC where they are placed in Group A, alongside arch-rivals India. They lock horns with India on June 9 in New York.